Vacuum regulators are frequently used in a variety of hospital settings. For example, patients may need to be exposed to vacuum suction to remove secretions from the lungs or other locations. Thus, endotracheal suctioning (ETS) is a fairly common procedure performed in patients with artificial airways, and involves, among other protocols, the aspiration of pulmonary secretions from a patient's airways to prevent obstruction.
Depending upon the particular medical procedure, patient condition, or other factors, it is often preferable to control the level of vacuum to which the patient is exposed and to set a maximum limit of such vacuum level.
Vacuum regulators typically used in hospital or other healthcare settings reduce line vacuum from a hospital source to deliver vacuum in a range suitable for use with intended patients, often ranging from 0 to 300 mmHg Examples of such vacuum regulators include Precision Medical Vacuum Regulator Model PM3300 and PM3400. Such vacuum regulators generally include a regulator module coupled to a rotatable knob, and a vacuum gauge pneumatically connected to the vacuum after it has been regulated by the vacuum module. In suction applications where the distal end of the vacuum tube or other part of the system is exposed to the atmosphere, such exposure to atmosphere will generally mean that the reading on the vacuum gauge shows a lower value than the maximum vacuum level to which the patient could be subjected, such as when secretions are being pulled through the system rather than atmospheric air. Accordingly, in order to determine the maximum vacuum level delivered by typical vacuum regulators, it is generally necessary to fully occlude the outlet of such regulator and make note of the corresponding gauge reading, which reading corresponds to the maximum vacuum to which the patient is exposed. When it is desirable to change the maximum vacuum level from one limit value to another limit value, a similar occlusion procedure is generally followed, in which the occluded regulator is adjusted by means of the rotating knob from one vacuum level indicated by the gauge to another vacuum level indicated by the gauge.
Without fully occluding the vacuum regulator, it may be a challenge for the healthcare provider to accurately gauge the level of vacuum to which the patient will be subjected. This could mean less optimal treatment of the patient, either because the vacuum is too low to be effective or too high and thus inappropriate for applicable procedure. It may be especially challenging to know the level of vacuum to which the patient is subjected when the unit is first turned on.
Furthermore, if there are vacuum collection canisters, trap bottles, or other elements in the corresponding vacuum system which are leaking or otherwise inadvertently open to the atmosphere, and if the occlusion test is performed so that such leaking components are between the regulator and the occluded end of the vacuum system, it is possible that the corresponding gauge reading, under the current art, will be lower than the maximum vacuum to which the patient could be subject if the intervening components were sealed from leaks or exposure to the atmosphere.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to overcome these and other aspects of current vacuum regulators in terms of delivering a desired vacuum level in a hospital or other healthcare setting.